WWF-Canada appoints Mike Russill as New President and CEO

An experienced private sector executive, Russill will start August 1, 2004. Monte Hummel, the current President, will become President Emeritus and continue to spearhead WWF-Canada’s conservation work in the boreal forest and the Arctic.

“We couldn’t be more excited about Mike Russill joining us,” says R.B. (Biff) Matthews, Chairman of the WWF-Canada Board. “Mike brings management expertise with a strong sense of social responsibility to his work. This is an ideal fit for WWF-Canada’s solution-oriented approach to conservation.”

Mike Russill has most recently been the Chairman of AADCO Automotive Inc., Canada’s leading environmentally focussed automotive recycler and the only company of its kind to receive Environment Canada’s Eco-logo. The balance of his career has been in the retail and marketing side of the oil and gas sector, working most recently for Suncor Energy Inc. While some might see this new role as inconsistent with his previous corporate life, Russill says “not so.”

“What appealed to me about the opportunity to join WWF-Canada was its effective approach to conservation issues,” says Russill. “There is so much yet to be done where the environment is concerned, I really wanted the opportunity to lead an organization that can bring all important stakeholders together. I am also very much looking forward to working with Monte Hummel, who will remain an essential part of WWF-Canada’s conservation work.”

Russill already has a strong environmental track record. Until recently, he sat on the Board of the Nature Conservancy of Canada. He also played a key role in the Suncor Sustainability Task Force, tackling environmental and social responsibility issues, and was responsible for the introduction of ethanol-based fuels at Sunoco gas stations. Suncor Energy Inc. is a partner in the Canadian Boreal Forest Conservation Framework, a national vision for boreal forest conservation that WWF-Canada helped create.

“This is an exciting time for WWF-Canada,” says Biff Matthews. “We are currently working toward a significant change in some globally important, natural spaces in this country such as the Grand Banks, the Mackenzie Valley and the B.C. coast. In hiring Mike Russill, we have brought on board an experienced leader who can ensure that our reach matches our vision.”

WWF-Canada is part of the global WWF network, one of the world’s largest and most experienced independent conservation groups. Founded more than 40 years ago, this global network now works in over 100 countries, investing over $500 million annually in some 1,000 projects and conservation programs running at any one time around the world.

For more information about WWF-Canada please visit our website at www.wwf.ca